Italian Americans
- Submitted by: slacker1
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- Category: History
- Date Submitted: 01/29/2010 01:35 AM
- Pages: 7
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An Italian American is an American of Italian ancestry and can also refer to a person possessing Italian and American dual citizenship. The following paragraphs will examine the history encompassing the aspects of the Italian American experience from the late 19th Century to today. I will focus on topics such as immigration, persecution, identity, as well as stereotyping.
The history of Italian Americans began back in 1880. Immigrant agents would travel abroad roaming the Italian countryside trying to lure peasants to much more welcoming land, also known as the United States. The United States was the best prospective place for the Italians to immigrate, work was waiting for them.
"Out of more than 5.4 Million Italians who have come to the United States throughout its history, 80 percent came between 1880 and 1920” (Parillo, 2009, p.191). This period was known as "The Great Migration".
A great majority of Italian immigrants came to the United States from Southern Italy such as Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Campania, Naples, Basilicata, Molise, and Abruzzi.
Determined to escape poverty, disease, famine, and oppressive Roman governments, Southern Italians began leaving their homes in record numbers during the 1880's. During this time, immigration from northwestern Europe was tapering off and native-born Americans, enjoying a new level of success and prosperity, increasingly rejected menial labor jobs. By the 1890's Italians were the largest groups immigrating to the United States, and it would remain that way until the 1920's (Borsella, 2005, p.39). (when the Immigration Act of 1924 took place)
Most Italian immigrants were peasants from rural areas and thus ill prepared for employment in an industrial nation. As a result, they labored in low status, low paying manual jobs as railroad laborers, miners, and longshoremen; in construction they dug ditches, laid sewer pipes, and built roads, subways, and other basic structures in urban areas...
The history of Italian Americans began back in 1880. Immigrant agents would travel abroad roaming the Italian countryside trying to lure peasants to much more welcoming land, also known as the United States. The United States was the best prospective place for the Italians to immigrate, work was waiting for them.
"Out of more than 5.4 Million Italians who have come to the United States throughout its history, 80 percent came between 1880 and 1920” (Parillo, 2009, p.191). This period was known as "The Great Migration".
A great majority of Italian immigrants came to the United States from Southern Italy such as Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Campania, Naples, Basilicata, Molise, and Abruzzi.
Determined to escape poverty, disease, famine, and oppressive Roman governments, Southern Italians began leaving their homes in record numbers during the 1880's. During this time, immigration from northwestern Europe was tapering off and native-born Americans, enjoying a new level of success and prosperity, increasingly rejected menial labor jobs. By the 1890's Italians were the largest groups immigrating to the United States, and it would remain that way until the 1920's (Borsella, 2005, p.39). (when the Immigration Act of 1924 took place)
Most Italian immigrants were peasants from rural areas and thus ill prepared for employment in an industrial nation. As a result, they labored in low status, low paying manual jobs as railroad laborers, miners, and longshoremen; in construction they dug ditches, laid sewer pipes, and built roads, subways, and other basic structures in urban areas...